Drinkin' 'Bout
by darkchocolatecupcake
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, not all alcohol-laced conversations end in drunken snogs.


**Drinkin' 'Bout**

_Contrary to popular belief, not all alcohol-laced conversations end in drunken snogs._

* * *

_What are you drinkin' 'bout tonight?  
Are you shootin' down some old love?  
Baby, that makes two of us._

_- Florida Georgia Line, "What Are You Drinking About?"_

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy had learned that just when he thinks he's pretty much seen it all in his seventeen-some-odd years, reality will smack him in a way that reminded him that sometimes, well, he just didn't have a clue about this crazy world.

This was one of those times.

He was just looking for a quiet, more private space to eke out the final inches of his Transfiguration essay when he shoved open the door to the Heads' Office. What he saw made him momentarily wonder if he'd walked into an alternate reality.

There was his co-head, Rose Weasley, partaking in - was that Dragon Barrel Brandy? He squinted at the label in the dimming firelight. Yes, yes it was. He'd recognize that faint dragon silhouette anywhere. Definitely contraband. Definitely un-Head-like behavior. Definitely un-Rose-like behavior.

"Hey," she greeted casually, her usually bouncy voice sounding warped as it lingered over the word.

"Hi." He kept his tone light, but his mind was a cage of Cornish pixies. "All right there, Rose?" escaped his mouth, and he winced. He didn't need a verbal confirmation of what he knew was the truthful answer: no. Before she could roll her eyes at him, he blundered on, hoping he came across as genuinely as he wanted to sound. "I mean, you're not all right, clearly. Didn't mean it that way, y'know."

Scorpius quickly crossed over to the sofa, where Rose was slouching against the armrest, legs stretched out on the seats. He'd barely dropped his rucksack and sat down on the other end when she swung her legs off and shot up abruptly onto her feet. She swayed for half a heartbeat before crashing back onto the sofa. Scorpius felt the cushions bounce slightly.

"I know you didn't," she waves her hands in a blasé sort of way, as if she just hadn't drunkenly fallen on her bottom and spilled some of her drink onto the rug. "See, that's what I like about you."

He couldn't think of any clever or probing responses to that, so he just watched her. Rose closed her eyes and swirled her glass. Scorpius took advantage of the moment to perform a nonverbal _Scourgify_ on the spot in the rug. _That's good, Malfoy,_ he quipped at himself, _if you can't comfort her, the least you can do is clean up after her_. He then mentally winced at how completely domestic that sounded.

"Well, aren't you going to ask me why I'm drinking?" Rose demanded loudly, startling Scorpius so much he jerked back. Her face, curiously, held no anger. He wondered what she really wanted from him.

"Why are you drinking?" he asked, slowly, as if calming a child on the edge of a tantrum.

"Never mind," she huffed, staring back into the fire. She took another swish of amber liquid from her glass.

"C'mon, Rose. You know I want to know." He paused, hoping she believed him. "What's going on?"

"This stuff is pretty good, y'know. 've never had it before tonight. You want some?" She extended her drink into his face.

Scorpius gently took the glass out from her hand and set it on the table next to the sofa. "No, thanks. And I'm glad you think it's good, but you might've had enough for tonight, yeah?" Before she could protest, he edged in, "Really, Rose. Why are you drinking? I've never seen you hole up like this with alcohol."

Her face morphed into a grimace. "It's stupid, really. I'm being stupid."

"That's all right, we're allowed to be stupid sometimes."

"It's just - how do you deal with the regret? The what ifs? It just comes out of nowhere some days, y'know?"

Of course. It's just as he'd suspected. He didn't say anything; he knew she'd continue.

"The silly thing is, I _do_ know how to deal with all of it. I remind myself that it's gone, and this is the here and now, and I can't change the past. And wondering about what may have happened if I hadn't, well," she paused, swallowing. "Well, if I hadn't hurt him so badly like that. What might've happened between us. That possibility of happiness that may have been!" Rose's voice sounded dangerously thick at this point.

Scorpius let a minute or two of silence pass over them. She'd never told him much about her split with seventh-year Daniel Blair at the end of her sixth year, right before summer holidays. He'd only heard, though Albus, through others, murmurs of why she'd ended it. They'd seemed wonderful together, even Scorpius had come to admit that, with a twist in his gut. Free and trusting and always laughing, so casually and confidently themselves in the relationship.

Before Scorpius became consciously aware of it, his hand had reached out and hesitantly patted her shoulder twice. There were no words he could think to give, except for maybe a quiet, "I'm sorry." He took a few breaths before continuing. "I think that sometimes, even though we know how we should deal with our...stuff, that doesn't mean we'll be able to do it all the time. You know?" _Like me feeling this constant pull toward you, and knowing that I should bite my tongue, because you aren't ready, you can't handle this right now. And you maybe never will be._ Scorpius put the brakes on his thoughts before they could go in the direction he knew they'd go. He glanced at her.

She was staring back, unblinkingly, either at him or through him. He couldn't really tell.

"And I think we just have to allow ourselves to be okay with that when those times come. When we know what we should do or think or feel to move forward, but can't in the moment. It's okay," he finished somewhat lamely. When he looked at her again, she was gazing down at her glass, the left edge of her mouth pulled up slightly. Scorpius felt a flash of affection and longing. He blinked, roughly forcing his vision back toward the fire.

"Yeah." Her voice came as a soft half-whisper. "Thanks. I really needed to hear that." She then started laughing abruptly. "I can't believe I actually am somewhat drunk right now. If you hadn't come in, I may have been well on my way to becoming an alcoholic."

"Well, I can't have that. I'd have to do all the work around here. And then where would we be?"

Rose bumped his shoulder. "Really though, thanks." She smiled at him, gently, and he hoped he was mirroring that softness as he smiled back.

"Anytime."

* * *

_Welp, it's almost that time called rodeo season down here in the South! Inspired by FGL and their country twanging. Not entirely happy with how this translated though the keyboard, but I wanted to explore these emotions a bit. Feedback welcome!_

_with love, dcc_


End file.
